基于电子自旋弛豫全光开关中的瞬态特性

设计了基于电子自旋弛豫的透射式全光开关模犁.该光开关具有开关时间短、结构简单,光学非线性强等特点.研究在右旋圆偏振光抽运下 GaAs/AlGaAs半导体多量子阱(MQWs)中以相空间填充(PSF)和库仑屏蔽(CS)为主要因素导致的激子吸收饱和行为,计算与抽运光同向(探测光与抽运光的圆偏振方向相同)和反向(探测光与抽运光的圆偏振方向相反)的圆偏振探测光吸收系数的变化,得到两种圆偏振光差分透射率改变量随延迟时间的变化.实验采用飞秒抽运-探测技术,获得了室温下GaAs/AlGaAs多量子阱同向圆偏振探测光的透射曲线,观察到了明显的饱和吸收现象,与数值模拟的结果相符.     

Dual-channel all-optical switching with tunable frequency in a five-level double-ladder atomic system

A scheme of five-level double-ladder-type atomic system is proposed with the aim of implementing dual-channel all-optical switching. Two transitions in the five-level atomic medium independently interact with the two orthogonally (circularly) polarized components from a weak linearly-polarized probe beam, while two other atomic transitions are coherently driven by a control beam and a switching signal beam. We demonstrate that the switching on/off of two orthogonally polarized beams at different frequencies can be achieved by adjusting the magnitude of the external magnetic field, which expands the frequency range of an optical signal switching operation and may improve its practicability.     

Improvement of all-optical switching performance based on azo dye-doped polymer film using two cross-linearly polarized pump beams

We propose a method for improving the characteristics of all-optical switching based on azo dye-doped polymers. Using alternately two cross-linearly polarized beams (532 nm, continuous light wave (CW)) to pump azo dye–ethyl red (ER) doped polymer methyl methacrylate (PMMA) film, the modulation depth of the all-optical switching reached 96% at the pump powers of 4.8 mW and 1.6 mW and the modulation frequency of 1000 Hz. For comparison, we used respectively the single linearly polarized beam (4.8 mW) and the alternately linear–circular polarized beams (4.8 mW and 1.6 mW) to pump the film at the modulation frequency of 1000 Hz, the obtained modulation depths of the all-optical switching were 36% and 45.8%, respectively. Furthermore, the experimental measurement and analysis showed that the turn off speed of the all-optical switching could be obviously increased by use of our pump method.     

Micromagnetic investigation of all-optical switching

This Letter investigates all-optical magnetization switching from micromagnetic perspective. The influence of circularly polarized light on a magnetic sample was considered to be both directly through the inverse Faraday effect and indirectly aided by thermal induced effects by the laser beam. Dependence of all-optical switching on pulse duration, laser intensity and the magneto-optical susceptibility strength is studied. An important aspect of this investigation is the analysis of how the cooling process influences the successive switches, especially through limiting the successive writing time.     

Study on all-optical switching characteristics of ethyl orange-doped polymer film

The all-optical switching polymer thin films with azobenzene dye ethyl orange as the guest material and polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) as the host material were prepared by adulteration and spin-coating methods. The all-optical switching characteristics of the samples were measured at different intensities and modulation frequencies of the pump beam (532 nm, CW); the influence of doping concentration on the all-optical switching effect of the films was studied. It is shown that, under room temperature conditions and with a low pump power of 6 mW, the all-optical switch has a response time of about 2 ms and a modulation depth of 45%, and the maximal modulation depth reaches 90%. In addition, it is found that samples with higher doping concentration show a stronger all-optical switching effect but a larger background signal, and good switching performance is obtained by choosing the doping concentrations from 0.8% to 2% of the sample.     

Controlling the optical bistability and transmission coefficient in a four-level atomic medium

A novel four level atomic configuration is proposed for controlling the optical bistability and transmission coefficient with application on all-optical switching. Two circularly polarized components from a weak linearly-polarized probe beam are interacted separately by two transitions of this medium. A coherent coupling field has derived another atomic transition. It is demonstrated that the transmission coefficient of two orthogonally polarized beams at different frequencies can be achieved by adjusting the magnitude of the external magnetic field. It is found that the threshold of the optical bistability can be controlled by magnitude of the external magnetic field. Also, it is shown that optical bistability can be converted to optical multistability by switching the two orthogonally polarized beams.     

High-density all-optical magnetic recording using a high-NA lens illuminated by circularly polarized pulse lights

We propose a method for high-density all-optical magnetic recording. Our analyses, based on the vector diffraction theory, show that owing to the inverse Faraday effect, circularly polarized laser pulses focused by a high numerical aperture (NA) lens can induce a small magnetization domain. For an example, the FWHM of the effective magnetization domain is 0.4646λ when NA=0.85. The magnetization direction is basically perpendicular to the surface of the optic-magneto film within the effective magnetization domain and the switching direction of magnetization can be controlled by the helicity of the incident circularly polarized light. These characteristics are useful to next-generation high-density all-optical magnetic storage.     

Generation of multi-color stimulated raman emission from two-color linearly or circularly polarized pump beams

A laser beam at two different frequencies separated by 587 cm^–1 is focused into pressurized hydrogen (rotational transition energy, 587 cm^–1) to generate multi-color stimulated Raman emission. The polarization state and the pulse energy are measured for each generated emission line using linearly and circularly polarized pump beams. The effect of the polarization is discussed by using a parameter characterizing the polarizability of hydrogen and a conservation rule for the angular momentum in four-wave mixing. Many rotational lines are generated with linearly polarized pump beams through a four-wave mixing process. This is in striking contrast to the results obtained by using a single-color circularly polarized pump beam which generates only one rotational line through a conventional stimulated Raman process.     

Improved measurements of thermally induced birefringence effects in a laser material using a half-wave plate

The polarization dependence of a probe beam for use in measuring thermally induced birefringence effects in a laser-diode end-pumped Nd:YAG ceramic laser has been investigated. The variation in intensity of the probe beam was found to be 10.2% for a linearly polarized probe beam, 20.6% for a circularly polarized probe beam, and 31.4% for a circularly polarized probe beam using a half-wave plate with a pump power of 12 W. The angle between the analyzer and the inclination of the major axis of the elliptical polarization with respect to the x axis was controlled using a half-wave plate. By combining a half-wave plate with a circularly polarized probe beam, the variation in intensity increased compared with conventional methods.     

All-optical logic gates with bacteriorhodopsin

All-optical logic gates with bacteriorhodopsin (bR) protein molecules have been demonstrated based on all-optical switching of a cw probe laser beam by multiple pulsed pump laser beams due to nonlinear intensity-induced excited-state absorption. A cw probe laser beam at 640 nm corresponding to the peak absorption of O-state in the bR photocycle is switched by a pulsed pump laser beam at 570 nm corresponding to the maximum initial B state absorption, at relatively low powers. The switching characteristics have been used to design all-optical NOT and the universal NOR and NAND logic gates and the effect of various parameters such as variation in pump pulse width, pump intensity, lifetime of O state and absorption cross-section of the B state at probe wavelength on the switching characteristics has been analyzed.     

非线性克尔效应对飞秒激光偏振的超快调制

研究了近红外飞秒激光的偏振在太赫兹频率的超快调制.利用抽运-探测光谱技术,通过改变两个脉冲之间的延迟时间可以控制光脉冲的旋转角.在Li：NaTb（WO₄）₂磁光晶体中观察到探测光的偏振随延迟时间变化的高速振荡,振荡信号的中心频率为0.19 THz.这种超快偏振调制现象可以解释为,抽运-探测实验构置中,前向传播的抽运光诱导的光学克尔非线性引起被晶体远端表面所反射的背向传播的探测光脉冲偏振面的额外旋转.通过改变抽运光的圆偏振旋性可以控制探测光调制信号的相位和振幅.实验结果表明,非线性光学克尔效应可以作为一种全新的手段,在磁光晶体中实现近红外飞秒激光以太赫兹频率的超快偏振调控.这将在超快磁光调制器等全光器件中得以应用.实验结果将有助于偏振依赖的超快动力学过程的研究.     

Switchable vortex beam polarization state terahertz multi-layer metasurface

We propose a switchable vortex beam polarization state terahertz multi-layer metasurface, which consists of three-layer elliptical metal crosses, four-layer dielectrics, and two-layer hollow metal circles, which are alternately superimposed. Under the normal incidence of left-handed circularly polarized (LCP) wave and the right-handed circularly polarized (RCP) waves, the proposed structure realizes three independent control functions, i.e., focused and vortex beam, vortex beam with different topological charges, and polarization states switching, and azimuth switching of two vortex beams with different polarization states. The results show that the proposed metasurface provides a new idea for investigating the multifunctional terahertz wave modulation devices.     

磁光光纤Bragg光栅中圆偏振光的非线性传输特性

提出了磁光光纤Bragg光栅的理论模型,给出了圆偏振光在磁光光纤光栅中传播的非线性耦合模方程. 研究表明,在磁光光纤Bragg光栅中,光栅引起正反传播方向的导波光发生耦合,法拉第效应引起磁圆双折射效应,而非线性效应则将左旋和右旋圆偏振光耦合在一起,它们的共同作用可使双稳态状态发生反转、非线性光控光开关阈值功率降低. 与传统光纤光栅相比,利用左旋和右旋磁圆偏振光之间的交叉相位调制实现的脉冲整形具有磁光偏置可调特性,为基于磁光光纤光栅的动态灵活全光3R再生器的研制提供了理论基础. 关键词： 磁光光纤Bragg光栅 圆偏振光 脉冲整形     

喇曼感生克尔效应光谱的琼斯矩阵分析

介绍喇曼感生克尔效应光谱(RIKES)的琼斯(Jones)矩阵分析方法.探测光束的传输强度不仅由所经过的每一个光学器件的琼斯矩阵所决定,而且还受到强的泵波在非线性介质样品中感生依赖于强度的二向色性和双折射(克尔效应)对琼斯矩阵的影响.同时计及样品和光学器件由强泵波作用下感生应力和其他外部产生的线双折射对喇曼感生克尔效应光谱观察的不利影响,导出测量系统的功率传输函数的完整表达式和喇曼感生克尔效应光谱的实现观察条件,最后简述以甲笨(C_7H_8)液体为试样的喇曼感生克尔效应光谱实验结果分析.     

High-contrast all-optical switching with Pt:ethynyl complex

We have theoretically analyzed all-optical switching in Pt:ethynyl complex based on nonlinear excited-state absorption. A detailed analysis for Pt:ethynyl complex has been presented based on rate equation approach. It is shown that a pulsed pump laser beam at 355 nm switches the transmission of a cw probe laser beam at 633 nm through a Pt:ethynyl sample. The effect of various parameters, such as pump pulse width, peak pumping intensity, normalized parameter , transition times of S₁→S₀ and S₁→T₁ states and lifetime of triplet state, on switching characteristics has been analyzed in detail. It has been shown that the probe beam can be completely switched off (i.e. 100% modulation) by a pulsed pump laser beam at 50 kW/cm². These results have been used to design all-optical NOT and the universal NOR and NAND logic gates with multiple pump laser pulses.     

激发态质子转移分子2-(2'-羟基苯基)苯并噻唑溶液的全光开关效应

研究了激发态质子转移(ESPT)分子2-(2'-羟基苯基)苯并噻唑(HBT)在不同极性溶剂中的光开关行为,探讨了溶剂极性对HBT分子光开光效应的影响.揭示了光开关脉冲信号的形成原因,建立了基于光诱导HBT分子激发态非线性折射效应的皮秒全光开关的理论模型.根据对时间响应函数的理论计算和实验结果分析,确定了光开关脉冲信号下降前沿和上升后沿的形成机理以及影响因素,并提出了增强光开关信号下降前沿的关断深度,提升上升后沿的恢复速度的有效途径和方法.本文工作为制成皮秒量级关断,微秒甚至纳秒量级重新打开的快速全光开关器 关键词： 全光开关 2-(2'-羟基苯基)苯并噻唑(HBT) 激发态质子转移 非线性光学特性     

Polarization-controlled switching between diffraction orders in transverse-periodically aligned nematic liquid crystals

Transverse-periodic-oriented nematic liquid crystals (LCs) are a special type of optical axis grating that are capable of very high efficiency diffraction (theoretically, 100%) in thin layers of materials with thickness comparable to the radiation wavelength. In particular, they fully diffract linearly polarized input beam into circularly polarized +1st and -1st diffraction orders. We experimentally demonstrate switching between diffraction orders of such gratings when the polarization of the incident beam changes from right-circular to left-circular and vice versa with the aid of an electrically controlled LC phase retarder. Such a setup in which the diffraction efficiency and direction are controlled externally, without application of an electric field to the transverse-periodic grating, provides additional control opportunities and does not compromise the quality of the grating. The grating used in the experiment was 1.5 microm thick and had a period of 4 microm. The contrast ratio of switching between the +1st and -1st orders was as high as 267:1 for a He-Ne laser beam with a switching time of 6.6 ms.     

A high-efficient method for generating radially and azimuthally polarized Bessel beams using biaxial crystals

As was shown previously, in propagation of a circularly polarized Bessel light beam along the optical axes of a biaxial crystal, there takes place the conversion of the order of Bessel function. In this paper, a new result is presented which is obtained by varying the polarization state of an input beam. Namely, a linearly polarized beam can be transformed into a beam with the radial or azimuthal polarization state. At that the order-transformation also occurs. The switching between radial and azimuthal polarization states of the output beam is performed by the proper switching between two orthogonal linear polarization states of the input beam. The efficiency of polarization conversion is high and can be practically full at an appropriate choice of the cone angle of the input beam or crystal length.     

Polarization spectroscopy of an excited state transition

We demonstrate polarization spectroscopy of an excited state transition in room-temperature cesium vapor. An anisotropy induced by a circularly polarized pump beam on the D2 transition is observed using a weak probe on the 6P(3/2)→7S(1/2) transition. At high pump power, a subfeature due to Autler-Townes splitting is observed that theoretical modeling shows is enhanced by Doppler averaging. Polarization spectroscopy provides a simple modulation-free signal suitable for laser frequency stabilization to excited state transitions.     

Use of nonlinear properties of intracavity type II second harmonic generation for image processing

We discuss the use of intracavity type-II second harmonic generation for all-optical processing of images. Injecting an image in a pump beam linearly polarized and a homogeneous field in the orthogonally polarized pump, it is possible to magnify the contrast and to recognize the contour of any part of the image whose intensity is above a tunable reference level. This can be done using ideal planar cavities where all the fields are resonant as well as in the more realistic situation where only the fundamental fields are resonant and using cavities with spherical mirrors. PACS 42.30.-d; 42.65.Ky; 42.65.Pc